


The Truth

by UseTheVentsClint



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies)
Genre: Angst, F/M, Far From Home spoilers, Stark!Reader
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-08
Updated: 2019-07-08
Packaged: 2020-06-24 13:38:27
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,654
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19724773
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/UseTheVentsClint/pseuds/UseTheVentsClint
Summary: Summary: You never thought that you would fall for the mysterious stranger from another world, and perhaps it would have been better for you if that was the case.





	The Truth

You should’ve expected it. Despite looking for the best in people, it always led to you being let down. Back when your father was still alive, he’d often miss important moments in your life due to prioritizing work so much- birthdays, award ceremonies, your graduation- but you never blamed for it. Hell, after he became Iron Man, you felt like you couldn’t pull him away from saving the lives of others for things that meant nothing in comparison. You always thought there would be more time eventually anyway, picturing him retiring and letting his essentially adopted spider-son step up to the superhero role… yet it would never come to pass, with him sacrificing himself to save everyone.

The world had thrown so much at you, so when Quentin Beck kept showing up in your life it felt like payback for everything you had been through. You’d met him not too long after Tony’s funeral, with him approaching you as you tried distracting yourself from everything, still clearly in denial about what happened during the ‘Battle for the World’. Though you had initially brushed him off, used to so many people approaching you throughout your life purely on the basis of you being a Stark- and even more so now due to your father’s death- there was something about him that drew you in. 

* * *

_“Beck. Quentin Beck.” The male smiled, offering his hand as he sat beside you. You couldn’t help but roll your eyes, internally cursing not bringing someone to keep you company. Happy was often a good choice when it came to wading off unwanted attention, but he was busy with May Parker, and honestly deserved a break from everything. “You look really familiar.” He continues, clearly not getting the hint as he leans into the view._

_Nodding, you finish your drink before offering him a polite smile. “Yeah, I get that a lot.” You awkwardly shuffle off your seat, preparing to call an uber or something to get out of here as fast as humanly possible. However, to your dismay, the much taller male takes a few strides and quickly catches up to you._

_“I, uh… didn’t mean to make you feel awkward.” he responds, sheepishly rubbing the back of his neck. “It’s just… I’m not used to seeing people who look so familiar- not here, anyway.”_

_You cock your head to the side, your eyes meeting his. “I’m sorry, but now isn’t a good time. I don’t know you, Beck.”_

_He closes his eyes for a moment, and when he opens them again, you see a slight hint of sorrow. “Apologies. I just thought you were… You look a lot like the late Y/N Stark, is all.”_

_Raising your eyebrow, you can’t help but laugh. He was certainly different from the regular people that tried to hit on you, that’s for sure. By now, most people had given up and just asked if they could have some money. “That’s new.” You respond, trying to figure out the mysterious stranger in front of you. “I’m pretty sure I’m alive.”_

_His eyes widen, and the sadness in his eyes only grows. “I see, that means you’re… never mind” he murmurs, avoiding your gaze completely. “Do me a favour, Y/N? Just… have a nice life. Take chances, live your life, and make it great.”_

_“You’re not from the future or something right?” you nervously chuckle. “Telling me to live my life before I’m inevitably taken out by someone? You said I was dead, so-“_

_“No- I’m not from the future, and you’re perfectly safe… but I mean what I said. Live your life, Y/N. Do what you want to do, not what others expect you to do. You’re greater than you know” Offering you one last wave, he walks out of the door and out of view. Most encounters you had throughout the day were just forgotten about, but there was something about him that made you certain that you wouldn’t forget him any time soon._

* * *

Over the next few weeks, you encountered the brunette far more often, almost as if fate was pulling you together. From just passing each other in the street, to ending up at the same coffee shops on most mornings, to showing up in your dreams. It wasn’t until you decided to head to Nick Fury to talk about some intel regarding the recent disappearance of the body of a fallen Sokovian that you realised just how far ‘fate’ was willing to go. Instead of being greeted by Maria Hill, or the aforementioned eye-patch wearing male, you found yourself face to face with a familiar set of sky blue eyes.

* * *

_“Wait a minute, Beck? What are you doing here?” you ask, quickly looking around the area to find any sign of the SHIELD agents. “I mean, it’s not that I’m not glad to see you or anything, but there’s a difference between just bumping into each other and… whatever this is.”_

_“Stand down, Y/N.” Fury’s familiar voice calls out. You turn around, with a wave of relief washing over you as he walks out of the shadows, followed shortly by Hill. “I see you are already acquainted with Mr Beck here, which makes my job a whole lot easier.”_

_“Riiight.” You respond, not even attempting to hide your confusion. “Listen, I just came to drop some files regarding Pie-“_

_“Have you heard about the recent attack in Mexico?” Fury questions, abruptly cutting you off. Previously adamant about getting as much information as to what happened to the silver-haired male’s body, you could tell that this was something very important if Fury dismissed it so quickly._

_“The whole ‘killer wind’ thing?”_

_Quentin offers you a small smile. “On my Earth, we call-called them elementals. Beings of unimaginable power, even just one of which has the ability to destroy the world. Two have already been taken down- but there are still two to go; water and fire- undoubtedly the most difficult of the four to take down.”_

_“I see… So what does this have to do with me? Fury, I’m happy to provide you with any information I come across- you know that- but if this is another attempt to recruit me into the Avengers, I swear to Thor that I’m going to kill- Wait.” You pause in place, the cogs in your head turning as you piece together exactly what Beck said. “Your Earth? As in ‘the multiverse is a thing’ your Earth?”_

_He nods. “The elementals already destroyed my home. I’m here to make sure that it doesn’t happen to another world,” he continues, idly fiddling with a golden ring placed on his finger. You hadn’t noticed it before, but it didn’t take much to put two and two together to figure out that the person who owned the other ring was no longer here. “I honestly didn’t mean to come across as a creep when we first met. Y/N Stark, as I know her, is dead. I just wasn’t expecting to find her doppelganger so early on.”_

_“I’m… I’m sorry Quentin. I didn’t know.”_

_“Of course you didn’t, how were you supposed to? Anyway, we could use your help in tracking them down.”_

_You nod, taking your place next to him as you begin to comb through the available intel. You feel his eyes on you, and notice a soft smile spread across his lips- a smile that, for once, you can’ t help but return._

* * *

It didn’t take long for you to fall under his spell. With Fury often pulling you away from Stark Industries for intel gathering, you found yourself in the company of Quentin far more than you had ever expected. It wasn’t unpleasant however. He often talked about everything that had happened in his world, and you filled him in on the history of the Avengers and the recent ‘blip’ events. It was comforting, being able to have a genuine talk with someone without them having other motives.

When he eventually asked you out, you didn’t think twice about saying yes, letting your heart lead you and ignoring the tiny voice at the back of your head saying something was up. He often talked about wanting to be the next Iron Man, which was certainly admirable and very much needed after everything that had happened. Had it not been for the wall-crawling teenager, who was trusted to continue Stark’s legacy on a superhero standpoint, and had Beck arrived sooner, you could’ve seen him working under Stark. However, completely blinded by this ‘perfect’ man, you failed to recognise some early warning signs- the way he flinched whenever you talked about Tony (odd, considering how much Quentin wanted to follow in his footsteps), the way he would try and change the subject if you talked about any of Tony’s old projects. You had just assumed that it was a sore subject for him, thinking about what happened to the other you and the other Tony in his universe.

Frankly though, you didn’t want to look at the warning signs. You wanted to be blissfully ignorant and- as Beck said when he first met you- live the life you wanted to live. For once in your life, everything was going perfectly, almost as if someone had whisked you away to a fairy-tale world where things somehow always worked out. That is why when FRIDAY overheard you and Pepper catching up as Beck headed out to fight the fire elemental, you didn’t want to hear what the AI had to say about him. FRIDAY talked about Quentin Beck- an amazing illusions specialist working on the Binary Augmented Retro-Framing tech, but was soon discharged for getting too power-hungry and for being far too unstable. You pushed the information aside and went to find Quentin, just expecting the reason for what FRIDAY said to be that it was this Earth’s version of him… not _your_ Quentin.

From everything you had gathered with the help of Maria, you knew the next elemental was going to show up in Prague. Had it not been for Beck’s insistence that you stay behind for safety’s sake, you would be with him right now. You didn’t think too much about the danger, however, and quickly prepared a jet to take you over to him. You just had to see him, hear from him that everything FRIDAY said had nothing to do with him, and make sure he was okay. From what you had seen him do with the water elemental, you had no doubt that he was powerful, but Tony was also powerful- power and invincibility were not interchangeable.

By the time you set down in Prague, the fight was long over, but not over long enough for Quentin to have left the area. With secrecy mattering very little for this particularly personal ‘mission’, you decided to ask around to see if anyone had seen him. He clearly must’ve stuck out, with it only taking a few moments for someone to direct you to a nearby pub. You didn’t fail to overhear their comments on how they thought the place was abandoned, however. Thanking them, you head towards the location, running through a thousand different scenarios in your head. What if FRIDAY was right? What if everything you knew about him was a lie? What if-

Your thoughts come to an abrupt stop as you find yourself at the door to the pub, arriving far sooner than you had expected. Taking a deep breath, you try and step towards the door and press your hand against it. You don’t open it, however, finding yourself unable to. You were scared- scared of having your heart broken. There was nobody you’d admit it to, but you were scared of being let down by one of the few people left in your life that you cared about. Instead, you walk towards the side of the building opting to just look in. Peaking through the window, you notice two familiar faces- Peter, who looked less like he was on vacation and more like he’d just been through hell, and Beck. It initially seemed like they were just having a nice heart-to-heart, which almost gave you the courage to run in there and wrap your arms around Quentin, but something was stopping you. Something was off. It was something minor, but undoubtedly _there_. A flicker. A flicker was all it took for you to return to your space in the corner of the window and continue observing from there. It was as if, for a split second, the interior of the bar warped.

You wanted to just dismiss it, but your mind went back to what FRIDAY said. This Earth’s Beck was a special effects artist, and you couldn’t deny the possibility that what you were seeing had something to do with B.A.R.F. You had seen it in development, and despite being one of the crowning achievements of Stark Industries, it wasn’t perfect- there were occasional distortions in the simulation. You had also not failed to remember what the locals said, about this bar apparently being run down and ready for demolition.

“Hey Y/N. You alright? What’re you doing here?” Jumping up, you immediately spin on your heel and come face to face with Peter, only just realising that he had left the bar. “There aren’t any more elementals, right? You didn’t find anything that would suggest otherwise? I really just want to sleep for the next few days and then talk to MJ about stuff.”

You smile softly at the teenager. “Yeah, I’m fine. Just trying to… figure something out. As far as I’m aware, we’re good on the elementals. Haven’t seen anything pop up that would suggest another attack, and neither Hill or Fury have been in contact. I was just waiting for the right time to talk to Quentin, but you two looked like you were busy.”

“Isn’t he great?” Peter beamed back. “Honestly, if anyone is going to become the next Iron Man, it’s him.”

You tilt your head to the side, resting your back on the wall, now out of the view of the window. “That’s funny. Always thought you were supposed to become the next Iron Man or whatever. My dad had a lot of faith in you, Peter. Why else do you think he gave you E.D.I.T.H?”

“Oh, yeah. I’m glad you asked about that. I gave it to Mr Beck- uh, Quentin- uh, Mr Quentin Beck?”

You almost choked. “You what?”

“Well, I thought that Mr Stark entrusted it to me to find someone worthy of taking his place. I’m just a kid… I can’t do what he did… But I think ‘Mysterio’ can. He took down those elementals, not me. I’m not ready to be Iron Man. I’m just your friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man, not someone who can save the world.”

You exhaled softly, closing your eyes for a moment. Peter was right- he only a kid and deserved to have a life outside of all of this mess. As much as you wanted to say that he was wrong, and that he had more than proven himself, you wanted to give him that opportunity to just be a teenager. Hell, if he was going to pick someone to take over E.D.I.T.H, Beck wasn’t the worst choice in the world- that is, if Beck is who he says he is, and you still wanted to believe that. “Yeah, I suppose you’re right,” you mumble, your mind still going through all the possibilities as to how Quentin isn’t up to something nefarious. Perhaps you’re just tired, and the strange warping in scenery was just a by-product of jet-lag. “Anyway, I should uhh… probably get in there and talk to him. I guess you’re free now, so enjoy the rest of your vacation Peter, and good luck with MJ. I hope everything goes well between you two”

“Thanks,” he hums, walking off with an added spring in his step. You hadn’t seen him so full of energy since before the events that Thanos set in motion. It was nice to see.

Turning your attention back to the window, still having your back to the wall, the smile you had on your face watching Peter fades away in an instant. All the scenarios you ran through, all possible reasons for Beck being an honest person- all of it- were proven false. It wasn’t jet-lag, and you weren’t seeing things earlier. The illusion fully dissipates as soon as Peter is fully out of view, with the once elegant and modern bar being replaced by one that had seemingly been untouched for the past few years. An almost manic smile appears on Beck’s face, an expression that’s a stark contrast to the soft smile he often wore around you. He was up to something- he had always been up to something- and, whatever it was, it wasn’t anything good.

You heard everything. His plan to outsmart Peter, to get E.D.I.T.H, and to become the next Iron Man, all the while getting his revenge on Tony Stark for firing him years ago- there was no multiverse, or at the very least, _he_ wasn’t from a different version of Earth. FRIDAY was right. Though the words never left his lips, you didn’t doubt that you were a part of his plan either- nothing more to him than a step towards getting revenge. You pull away from the window, letting out a choked sob as you curse yourself for ever thinking you had a chance at being happy.

“It’s rude to spy on people.” A voice calls out, immediately recognisable as Quentin, now wearing the E.D.I.T.H glasses. Once again, you had failed to notice someone leaving the bar, and this time it could get you killed. You let out a self-depreciating chuckle as you thought about all those lessons Nat and Clint had given you on gathering intel and _not_ getting caught. You were usually good at it, but something about Beck caused you to drop your guard. If only there were more vents. “Y/N, Y/N. What am I going to do with you?” Grabbing your chin, he tilts your head to face him, his piercing blue eyes staring daggers into you.

You tried looking away but found yourself unable to. “You lied to me, you’re not from another Earth, are you? I should’ve just listened to FRIDAY. I shouldn’t have shown up here.” you mumble, forcing every word out lest it get caught in your throat. “You never cared about me, did you? This was all a part of your BS ploy to get revenge for being fired, wasn’t it?”

“No, no, Y/N. You have it all wrong.” he smiles, wiping a tear from the side of your cheek. You swat his hand away, but he seems completely unphased. “It may have started out that way when we first met, but I genuinely care for you.”

“Are you kidding me? You care about me?” your voice raises. “You **_care_** about me? I don’t even _know_ you Quentin. Everything you’ve ever told me is a lie, and you expect me to believe that you _care_ about me? I trusted you- I ignored obvious warning signs because I didn’t want to believe it. Had I just done my damn job, I’d have known. Had you cared about me, you would have _told_ me”

“Y/N, if I didn’t care about you, you’d be dead already.” The almost joyous tone he uses sends shivers down your spine. “And you _do_ know me. I’m going to give everyone hope. That’s inevitably going to lead to a few deaths, but it’ll all work out in the long run. I’m going to be the hero that everyone needs right now.”

“No Que- No Beck. You’re not… You’re not a hero.” You pull away from him, and for a brief moment, he seems almost _hurt_. It doesn’t last long, however, with him returning to his crazed expression. You shake your head. Brushing past him, you send out a message to be picked up. You weren’t ready to go home though, not yet. “I’m clearly not my father’s daughter- I must be an idiot for trusting you.”

**_> Heading back to you now. Set a course for Heathrow Airport. I need to clear my head.<_ **

“Have a nice life, Beck.”

You half expected him to follow you- to keep an eye on you and make sure that you didn’t tell anyone about what went down. To shoot you in the back the second your eyes left his. However, all he did was stand in place, watching your retreating form with a smile on his face. You pulled out your phone once more, scrolling down to your emergency contact. Though you could never see the number registered to it- courtesy of the number’s owner, no doubt- it never failed to get you through to Nick Fury. Though impossible to track down, even with the help of the Stark technology you possessed, you still needed to get the warning out to him.

**_> Don’t trust Beck.<_ **

* * *

Returning into the pub, Quentin gathers his team around. “Change of plan. Forget New York- our Avengers-level threat? We’re going to do it in London. Anyone who opposes this can answer to E.D.I.T.H.” Pulling out a photo from his pocket, he looks longingly at it- it was an image of you two, taken a few months into your relationship. Your lips were on his cheek, and you were both smiling, happy just to be in the company of one another. He runs a finger down your face, before promptly putting the image back. “I’ll show you I’m the hero… But first, I need to cover up some of the loose ends you’ve made.”

**Author's Note:**

> Want to request something? Head over to my Tumblr of the same name and shoot me an ask! I'll write for most MCU and X-Men (FOX) characters


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